100+ Things Meme

100+ Things Meme

This is a fun little meme that's been floating around the Internet. The instructions are to bold the things you’ve done and add your own interesting thing at the end of the list:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Spent a summer “abroad”
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train/flight
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Been at the top of the World Trade Center
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted / drawn
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Paid off a mortgage in full
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving/parasailing
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a cheque
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the CNN Tower
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Criss-crossed Canada
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby/been pregnant
95. Witnessed a birth
96. Been present at a death
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day
101. Peed on the side of the road as an adult
102. Milked a cow
103. Been white water rafting
104. Been surfing
105. Ridden a horse
106. Gone down a manhole

Wordless Wednesday

10 Years of Music - Trans Siberian Orchestra

What an incredible way to spend a Friday evening!! The sounds, the story, the music, the talent, the set, the light show - this was total sensory overload.

There is no need to even take time to reflect this week. God has been right here with us, holding us up during some very tense and scary moments - assuring us that He would stay right beside us as we watched adoptive parents and a birth mother come to terms with all that was going on. We watched as God completely altered the course of a tiny little life. What great plans He must have in store for this baby boy!!

Publish Post

The Wait is Finally Over

We have been praying, praying and waiting for a long time for this week and especially today. We thought this would all take place last week - so I stayed home from our vacation. But God had a different schedule. On Monday, November 10th at 2:30 in the afternoon, a beautiful, healthy baby boy was born. Today, that baby boy became a part of our family - adopted by my niece and her husband. God is so faithful!! He listens to the prayers of our hearts and answers them - according to His plan and in His time. We were just so blessed to be even a tiny part of bringing this plan into a reality. A huge "thank you" to each of you who have prayed with us for a safe and healthy birth.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:10-12

an intense moment of Carolina football

do you think maybe we are Bowl bound??

Definitely A TREAT!!!

A VERY HUNGY CATERPILLAR!!!

Totally Wordless Wednesday....well not quite...

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.

Corrie ten Boom

Missing....

My family is here...yes - almost ALL of my Bishop family - in-laws, cousins, babies, husband, - you get the picture...

And I am at home in Florida....this is where I need to be this week,but I sure am missing everyone, the games, the laughs, the good food, the cool air and the memory making.

BUT - this IS where God wants me this week, and I can share all of that later - hopefully, sooner than later!!

Isaiah 46:9-11 (New International Version)

9 Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.

10 I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say: My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.

11 From the east I summon a bird of prey;
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that will I bring about;
what I have planned, that will I do.

Bucket List

Tonight, David is doing something on his"bucket list"!!! He is going to the World Series with a friend - watching the Rays play the Phillies. Good Luck, Rays!!!!

Life is Just a Little Bit Crazy HERE!!!

So Sunday night, while we were at the Bucs game - just down the road and across the bay - the Rays were playing game 7 against the Red Sox trying to win the ALCS. And guess what - from the worst to first in one season!! The Rays are going to the World Series .... or the World Series is coming to Tampa!!! This had to be the sports night of all sports nights!! The Bucs won, Alstott is honored and during all of that the Rays are playing in game 7. Half of the football fans were listening to the Rays game on their headphones. There would be nothing going on down on the field, and all of a sudden everyone would stand up screaming, yelling and high-fiving. At one point, they jumbotron flashed - "quiet please-offense on the field". The Bucs won, game over and we all started heading out of the stadium. Most of us stopped on the way out at all of the tv stations to watch the end of the Rays game, then all of a sudden the crowd starts moving back into the stadium. The last inning of the Rays do-or-die game was being broadcast on the 2 jumbotrons. So back into the seats and we were watching the game!! I cannot tell you how much fun (even at almost 1am) this was!!! So the entire community and beyond is behind this underdog team of young rookies who have proved to all here the impossible is possible. They have lifted our spirits in this season of doom and gloom all around us. Thank you to the boys of summer for taking us into the World Series!!! AND...David already has a tickets for Thursday's game - thanks Martin'!!!!

Not Just Any Given Sunday

On any given Sunday in the fall there is an NFL game going on. This past Sunday, in Tampa, the Bucs played the Seahawks. But it wasn't the game that was so important this week. No, this week - Buccaneer fans watched as their "favorite son" officially retired. Mike Alstott, the "A-Train", #40, "brought the filled stadium crowd to its feet one more time. The former Buccaneers fullback, one of the most popular players in the franchise's history and its career leader in several categories, was honored was honored with a ceremony at halftime...It was an honor to describe his great career, longtime Bucs play-by-play voice Gene Deckerhoff said. "And it was a thrill every time I was able to say, 'Al-stott!! Up the gut!! Touchdown, Tampa Bay!!" Alsott was an incredible team player on the field, but even more than that he is a member of our community. He and his family give back in so many ways through the Mike Alstott Foundation - Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Pinellas, Special Olympics Florida, The Angelus House, All Children's Hospital and the Children's Cancer Center. A-Train, you will be missed on the field - but we are so glad that you are still a part of our community!! Thanks for some great memories!!!

An Email From Max Lucado

The first response to any crisis is prayer; urgent and honest prayer. Before we turn to money managers and governments, let’s turn to the Maker of the Universe.

You Have Our Attention, Lord A prayer by Max Lucado - October 2008 Our friends lost their house The co-worker lost her job The couple next door lost their retirement It seems that everyone is losing their footing This scares us. This bailout with billions. These rumblings of depression. These headlines: ominous, thunderous - “Going Broke!” “Going Down!” “Going Under!” “What's Next?” What is next? We’re listening. And we’re admitting: You were right. You told us this would happen. You shot straight about loving stuff and worshipping money. Greed will break your heart, You warned. Money will love you and leave you. Don’t put your hope in riches that are so uncertain. You were right. Money is a fickle lover and we just got dumped. We were wrong to spend what we didn’t have. Wrong to neglect prayer and ignore the poor. Wrong to think we ever earned a dime. We didn’t. You gave it. And now, tell us Father, are You taking it? We’re listening. And we’re praying. Could you make something good out of this mess? Of course You can. You always have. You led slaves out of slavery, Built temples out of ruins, Turned stormy waves into a glassy pond and water into sweet wine. This disorder awaits your order. So do we. Through Christ, Amen God will always give what is right to His people who cry to Him night and day, and He will not be slow to answer them. (Luke 18:7 NCV) See Max Deliver This Prayer

Wordless Wednesday, Thankful Thursday all rolled into one post!!

OOPS!!

After numerous wonderful emails, calls and comments - I need to clarify that Robert's Homecoming is NEXT week!! I guess you could say that I am just a little too overexcited here!! So keep praying him home and I will keep updating. I am on my way to meet up with a great friend who moved away a couple of years ago. She just flew into town to be at the Brandon Care Pregnancy Center's Annual Gala this evening. Tomorrow is another day - and THEN, David and I are heading north to the real south!! Kelly, I can't WAIT to get to Summerville tomorrow!! Then downtown for some special shopping, Edisto Island to look at a piece of property, and finally - Bowen's Island for dinner. Can you just think of a more perfect day!?! Of course we will be listening to SEC football while we are doing all of this.

It's About Time!!!

If everything goes according to the plan - did I really just say that??? Robert will be home this week!! Can I say that we are all just a little excited here!! David and I are heading to SC on Friday, then NC on Sunday. Robert's parents are heading up. This is going to be one great homecoming!! I cannot thank each of you enough for the prayers that have been said on Robert's behalf. Thank you!! Thank you!! Keep praying - there are so many of our men and women who are still there fighting on our behalf!!

Be Back Soon

Just One More Thing....

Just adding this one photo to the earlier post - wanted to make sure you got the picture!!!

Sunday in Florida

It all started on Friday morning. I headed over to the Hillsborough County Republican office. An early morning email let us know that Gov. Palin was going to be in Florida on Sunday, and tickets were available. Got in, got in line and then I noticed the guy with a huge camera on his shoulder standing off to the side. Great - the local tv station was there!! I tried to get in and get out without being noticed. Not to happen - on my way out with my tickets the reporter who looked to be high school age - stopped me. Well, this gal had no idea what kind of week we had had, and that she was not going to interview me - but Towanda. I am the last person to want to be on TV, but Friday - it just didn't matter. I am so tired of what this campaign has already become. I am beyond upset about what happened to our savings, investments and retirement last week. So when asked why would I want to spend time going to see Gov. Palin and the Republican ticket on Sunday - well, I was nice - but I told them way more than they asked for. I vented. I shared my hopes and dreams for the McCain-Palin ticket. My pride in this country and our soldiers, and a desire for a ticket that will make sure that my son-in-law is protected as he does his job protecting all of us. My excitement that must surely be shared by parents of children with disabilities. Finally, their concerns will be front and center!! I am ready for a ticket that is not afraid to stand up for what they believe in. Someone who won't turn this country over to socialized medicine, and won't ask us to prove our patriotism by giving our money away with more taxes. So, I assumed everything would be edited and thrown on the floor - but it wasn't. I ended up on the news - what they kept in the report was my concerns about the economy - duh??? There is just so much more to all of this!! So Sunday morning Marilyn, Becky and I headed to The Villages about 9:30. After a few stops along the way, we arrived around 1. We were in a trafic jam along with other cars and about 10,000 golf carts - what a hoot!! We found our place to stand and waited in the Florida sun
(you know the kind of heat when you can feel sweat running down your back and then into regions unknown) - until about 4pm - when we got a video of the Straight Talk bus pulling into the Village. Did I say how hot it was - 100 EMS calls for folks passing out!! Great speech, even greater excitement about things to come, fun time hiding in the bushes to get an up close photo of Gov. Palin as she boarded the bus. Over 50.000 folks and believe me, most of them were driving golf carts. Didn't realize until Sunday that you could actually "pimp your ride" in a golf cart!!!

Blogging for the rights of others...

After following the political events of the past two weeks, I feel so compelled to share the following blog with each of you. I was blessed to have this sent to me by a sister in Christ. Please go to the link following the blog title - this is one you might want to add to your blogroll and read often!!

THE LIFE OF OUR PREEMIE BABY--What`s Really at Stake in the U.S. Presidential Election

http://www.thoenebooks.com/blog.asp

Like a Stream in the Desert- Siesta Fiesta

Living Proof Live - San Antonio from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

Here She Comes!!!

Fay is on the way!!!!!

At a Total Loss for Words...

By MICHELLE BEARDEN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 18, 2008

BRANDON - Still reeling from the deaths of their senior pastor and his 14-year-old son in May, members of Bell Shoals Baptist Church are leaning on each other again.

Simeon Nix, the church's gregarious minister of music and worship, suffered a heart attack late Saturday night and died a few hours later at Brandon Regional Hospital. He was 47.

He leaves his wife, Beth, and the two children they adopted as toddlers from Russia, Bre'Ana, 7, and Sterling, 7, as well as a church family of about 7,000.

"He had big shoes, and they will be hard to fill," said Gary Payne, the church's pastor of adult education. "He was big at heart, big at leadership and big on faith. His loss is big, but we have to believe his death was no accident and it is part of God's great plan."

Nix would have celebrated his 13th year at Bell Shoals, one of the Bay area's largest churches, in October. He was 6 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed nearly 300 pounds. He had the physical presence of a Russian wrestler but the countenance of a teddy bear and the voice of an angel, making him one of the church's most popular and respected leaders.

He recorded two solo CDs and produced several large-scale Christmas and Easter musical productions. When attendance outgrew the church's facilities, he moved the shows to the Florida State Fairgrounds for three years, drawing 10,000 people each season.

Nix Was Counseling Congregation

It was Nix who helped the congregation work through the loss of the Rev. Forrest Pollock and his son, Preston, who died when the single-engine Piper that Pollock was piloting crashed into a North Carolina mountainside May 12. Nix spoke eloquently at a prayer gathering and memorial service, directed the music and led the church's praise team in song. He kept his composure and humor most of the time on the podium, breaking down only once.

Nix continued to counsel church members still grappling with their grief and questioning their faith from the loss of their 44-year-old pastor.

"Simeon mentored a lot of people, he discipled a lot of people," said Payne, a fishing and hunting buddy of Nix's. "He was a man's man, but he was never afraid to give you a big hug and tell you that he loved you."

Nix, who also had diabetes, had complained of chest pain a week earlier. He got some medication Aug. 10; when the pain didn't subside, he saw a doctor the next day and learned he had suffered a mild heart attack. He had a stent put in that evening and remained in the hospital through Friday.

Over the weekend, he told other church staff members how well he felt. Saturday night, he even took a short walk in his neighborhood with friends.

"We thought he would just be down for the count for a little while," said Rich Nelson, the church's associate pastor of music and worship. "There was talk he would take some time off - maybe six weeks - and we were wondering what would happen to all those lives he was keeping together since May.

"People depended on him."

Bell Shoals had been in its new $24 million, 3,450-seat sanctuary for only a few weeks when Pollock and his son died in the plane crash, which remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration. The church dedication hadn't even taken place.

'A Great, Big Lovable Man'

It wasn't the first time Nix had to guide congregants through a troubling time. When senior pastor Ken Alford had to resign in February 2002. Nix was part of the leadership team that kept the church running smoothly for the 10 months it operated without a senior pastor.

Pollock served Bell Shoals for 51/2 years. A search team is expected to be selected by the end of September to replace him. Although the church has been in transition, Payne said attendance has gone up by 10 percent since May.

"The church is not about the man. It's about the body of Christ working and serving together," he said.

"There are no promises in the Bible about life being easy. But there is the promise that God will be with us, and he is always faithful."

The Rev. George Thomasson, the church's senior associate pastor, stood before the congregation Sunday to offer solace and Scriptures to church members. Most first heard the news when they arrived for the 11 a.m. service.

"The Lord called him home," Thomasson said to the congregants, many of whom wept or looked shocked. "None of us anticipated it. But it was not a surprise to the Lord."

In his first week at Bell Shoals, "Simeon Nix got into my heart," he said.

"It didn't take long to understand what kind of man he was - just a great, big lovable man who loved God and people with all this heart."

Funeral arrangements are pending.

News Channel 8 reporter Indira LeVine contributed to this report. Reporter Michelle Bearden can be reached at (813) 259-7613 or mbearden@tampatrib.com.

On the road again...

We are loaded up and ready to ride!! Early in the morning we are heading north to Charleston to move Kelly into an apartment. She starts nursing school in a couple of weeks at Charleston Southern. This is the BIG move out - all of a sudden we have an empty bedroom. Marilyn, I guess that is yours. The pantry has been cleaned out, and my car can come back into the garage!! We had a great group of guys from church come over to load her up. And another group from my nephews church down the road is going to meet us on the other end. So we leave tomorrow as three, and come home to just the two of us again. I know that's how things are supposed to happen, but it doesn't make it any easier. This move and change in Kelly's life is the answer to several years of intense prayer, great doctors, great friends and an awesome support group that has loved and been there for all of us. But most of all - a God who has heard and answered our prayers for Kelly. Kaiti and Collin are meeting us for the weekend - we are seeing old friends throughout the weekend, and have a wedding on Saturday at our former church. Sunday after church - we are heading over to my Mom's. On Monday - I am in store for such a sweet treat!!! I am meeting Technonana and a dear friend who has connected with her for lunch. So after months of only talking online and by phone - we are meeting - up close and personal!! Can't wait!! Then back in another UHaul to load up furniture from Sumter, and we are on the road for home - again!! So keep us in your prayers, and especially continue to pray for Kelly. Updates to follow....

What Our Country Needs

As the time for the election in November draws ever closer, I find myself being more and more concerned about our country and where we are heading. I am patriotic to the point of tears. I find it hard to breathe when I put my hand over my heart and pledge my allegiance to this country. I have family fighting for our freedom as I write this. I have family who have died for our freedom. I have protested in my younger years, and am not afriad to do that again - because I have that freedom. I dont want to lose the religious and personal freedoms that have been granted to me as an American citizen. I do want my daughters and their families to grow up with same freedoms that I have been privileged to enjoy all of my life. I want them to live in a safe country. I believe that we are teetering on the brink of change - change that may not ensure that these freedoms remain in place. I believe that we have to journey prayerfully into this political season. This song is my mantra over the next several months
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."2 Chronicles 7:14

Hmmm-Is this true???

You Are Not a Wimp

In fact, you are an incredibly tough person. Your nerves do not get the better of you. You don't back down from challenges or intimidating situations. You love the thrill of conquer... so much so that it outweighs the fear of defeat.

Are You a Wimp?

Summer Camp is Over

I know that I haven't posted in almost two weeks - but you just can't imagine how very busy we have been, and how much fun we have been having!! And how much more important than blogging this is!! The fun ends early Monday morning when Kaiti, Collin and Kelly head home to NC. Please keep them in your prayers as they travel home. Camp KaKa is over for 2008.

Happy 86th Birthday, Mom!!

Make a Smilebox photobook